Broadway Star Elizabeth Franz, Tony Winner and Emmy Nominee, Passes Away at 84 – Cause of Death Revealed

Elizabeth Franz, the acclaimed actress known for her work on Broadway and television, has died at the age of 84. According to her husband Christopher Pelham, speaking to the New York Times, Franz passed away on November 4 at her home in Woodbury, Connecticut, due to cancer and a severe reaction to her treatment medication.

Franz had a long and distinguished career on stage. She earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1999 for her role as Linda Loman in Broadway’s production of Death of a Salesman, starring opposite Brian Dennehy.

Arthur Miller himself praised her performance, saying she “has discovered in the role the basic underlying powerful protectiveness, which comes out as fury, and that in the past, in every performance I know of, was simply washed out.” She also reprised the role for Showtime’s television adaptation in 2000, earning an Emmy nomination.

Her portrayal of Linda was deeply personal. Franz told the Times that her father’s experience as a blue-collar worker influenced her performance. “It killed my father, really. He didn’t commit suicide, like Willy. He didn’t have to,” she told The Star-Ledger in 1999, reflecting on the hardships her father faced when he was fired after decades of work.

Beyond Death of a Salesman, Franz had a prolific stage career. She won an Obie Award in 1982 for playing the lead in Christopher Durang’s Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You. She earned Tony nominations for her roles in Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1983 and Paul Osborn’s Morning’s at Seven in 2002. Other Broadway credits included The Cherry Orchard, Getting Married, Uncle Vanya, and The Miracle Worker.

Elizabeth Franz’s career left a lasting mark on theater and television. Her ability to bring depth and strength to every character she played will be remembered by fans and colleagues alike.

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